Ryan Field's Blog, page 515
December 8, 2011
2011 Rainbow Awards...
The results are in, and the 2011 Rainbow Awards have been released.
Please check them out here, at Elisa Rolle's livejournal.
There are more details here.
Here's the main link, where you can scroll down and get all the details.
I'd also like to thank Elisa for taking the time to do this once again. I think it's something the entire LGBT literary community looks forward to and I know it's a lot of work.
As a judge/juror, I know it takes time to read the assigned books. And I take it very seriously. It takes even longer to decide ratings because the books are so good. So I can't even imagine how much times it takes for Elisa Rolle to organize and execute an event like this, especially while working full time as a professional in a very demanding position.
I'm already looking forward to next year's awards.
December 7, 2011
An Erotic Anthology Edited by Well Known Book Reviewer: Why I'm not Going to Read this Book
A new erotic anthology was just released. It was edited by a well known book reviewer and I'm dying to read it. The main reason I'm dying to read it is to see what this book reviewer enjoys about erotica. I'm especially interested because this anthology deals with BDSM erotica.
I've never been a fan of BDSM. Frankly, I'd rather look at nude photos of Joy Behar than be tied up, tortured, and gagged. It's just not my thing. I don't write about it either and probably never will. I respect those who do write BDSM, especially those who do it well.
But this isn't the reason I'm not buying the book. Even though I'm fascinated to know what this book reviewer considers quality erotica...especially with regards to BDSM...there's no way I'm paying $9.99 for an e-book. And certainly not an e-book that's an anthology written by authors with whom I'm not familiar.
I paid full price for the Steve Jobs bio. I paid full price for THE HELP. And I read them both in digital format. But I think Steve Jobs is worth the price, not to mention a portion of that price went to a charity. I also think a hot mainstream novel like THE HELP is worth paying full price in digital format. But I don't think a sub-genre erotic romance by authors I don't know is worth $9.99.
I would have paid anything up to $6.00. I know that sounds silly. But I read a lot and I have to set limits on how much I'm going to spend. I'm up to four digital readers that includes my new tablet, not counting my iPhone, and I only read digital books now. People like me ARE the market publishers should be targeting right now.
This is no reflection on the editor of the book I'm talking about, or the authors who contributed to the BDSM anthology. I know from my own experience as an author they have no control over how digital books are priced. But I do wish publishers would pay closer attention to the buying habits of people who read e-books. We have lines. And sometimes, no matter how much we want to read a book, we aren't willing to cross those lines.
I've never been a fan of BDSM. Frankly, I'd rather look at nude photos of Joy Behar than be tied up, tortured, and gagged. It's just not my thing. I don't write about it either and probably never will. I respect those who do write BDSM, especially those who do it well.
But this isn't the reason I'm not buying the book. Even though I'm fascinated to know what this book reviewer considers quality erotica...especially with regards to BDSM...there's no way I'm paying $9.99 for an e-book. And certainly not an e-book that's an anthology written by authors with whom I'm not familiar.
I paid full price for the Steve Jobs bio. I paid full price for THE HELP. And I read them both in digital format. But I think Steve Jobs is worth the price, not to mention a portion of that price went to a charity. I also think a hot mainstream novel like THE HELP is worth paying full price in digital format. But I don't think a sub-genre erotic romance by authors I don't know is worth $9.99.
I would have paid anything up to $6.00. I know that sounds silly. But I read a lot and I have to set limits on how much I'm going to spend. I'm up to four digital readers that includes my new tablet, not counting my iPhone, and I only read digital books now. People like me ARE the market publishers should be targeting right now.
This is no reflection on the editor of the book I'm talking about, or the authors who contributed to the BDSM anthology. I know from my own experience as an author they have no control over how digital books are priced. But I do wish publishers would pay closer attention to the buying habits of people who read e-books. We have lines. And sometimes, no matter how much we want to read a book, we aren't willing to cross those lines.
Another Reason Why I Find Fred Karger, Openly Gay and Running for President, Interesting
Although I hate to post about politics here on the blog, I do post about issues that are LGBT oriented and I think this one is significant. As far as I know, I've never seen an openly gay man or woman make a bid for the Presidency. And I'm fascinated by it.
I've posted about Fred Karger before, here. For those who still don't know...and I know many people don't about Fred Karger because the mainstream media only hands out the very basic information...he's openly gay, he's running for President, and he's a Republican.
I follow him on social media and this is one of his recent comments on Facebook:
How proud I am to have supported Hillary Clinton for President 4 years ago, especially after her speech yesterday at the United Nations in Geneva. "Hillary Clinton calls on world not to discriminate against gays." http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-clinton-gay-rights-20111207,0,4018429.story
He also added the above photo to the status update.
The reason I find this interesting is because you don't normally hear a Republican endorsing a Democrat...for anything. I'm an independent voter. I like someone who is bipartisan.
The bickering due to old time political party nonsense in DC clearly isn't working anymore. It's been broken for some time now. People are looking for a change, and that change has a lot to do with a *leader* who is capable of being bipartisan and pulling this country together.
December 6, 2011
1Placeforromance.com
There's a nice web site where romances are sold called, 1placeforromance.com. I think it's simple to use, safe to use, and they give out excellent product descriptions.
The thing I really like about 1placeforromance with respect to my books is that you can only find my loveyoudivine.com releases there. It's concise; I like that.
And most of my lyd releases are short stories or novellas, not full length novels. I have one being released this month and I just submitted another to the editor.
My lyd works of fiction are also stories and novellas over which I've had total and complete control. In other words, I've chosen the titles, I've written the back cover copy and tag lines, and I've even been given a great deal of freedom with covers. With most publishers the publishing process is a collaboration. The author rarely has the final say with anything. At lyd, and my books being sold over at 1placeforromance.com, I made all the decisions myself. Which can be tricky sometimes, because you now know who to blame if you don't like something.
You can get there from here to view my work. There are also a lot of other works by other authors to check out and the site is simple to navigate.
One Thing that Really Freaks Them Out...
I get e-mails and messages all the time from new writers who are looking for advice about querying agents and getting published. I try my best to advise, in a general sense, based on my own personal experiences in publishing.
If I don't know something, I will direct people to either a publishing blog I like and follow, or a literary agent blog I like and follow. There's a lot of great advice out there for free, but you have to know where to look and whom to believe.
If you're querying an agent or a publisher, the one thing you always want to do is look professional, and at least sound like you basically know what you're talking about. If you are not careful, there are are few little things that can ruin the entire query no matter how good it is. One of those things is when you refer to your work/works as a "Fiction novel," or "Fiction novels."
I know this sounds petty. But this is one of those *things* that even people with the most basic knowledge of publishing understand. And you wouldn't want a small mistake like this to hurt your chances of getting published. You can refer to your work as "fiction," or you can refer to it as a "novel." But don't refer to it as a "fiction novel." Just trust me on this one and don't try to rationalize it. It really freaks them out for some reason. It's not a big thing for me, but I'm not the gatekeeper who will decide whether or not you get published.
If I don't know something, I will direct people to either a publishing blog I like and follow, or a literary agent blog I like and follow. There's a lot of great advice out there for free, but you have to know where to look and whom to believe.
If you're querying an agent or a publisher, the one thing you always want to do is look professional, and at least sound like you basically know what you're talking about. If you are not careful, there are are few little things that can ruin the entire query no matter how good it is. One of those things is when you refer to your work/works as a "Fiction novel," or "Fiction novels."
I know this sounds petty. But this is one of those *things* that even people with the most basic knowledge of publishing understand. And you wouldn't want a small mistake like this to hurt your chances of getting published. You can refer to your work as "fiction," or you can refer to it as a "novel." But don't refer to it as a "fiction novel." Just trust me on this one and don't try to rationalize it. It really freaks them out for some reason. It's not a big thing for me, but I'm not the gatekeeper who will decide whether or not you get published.
December 5, 2011
Ryan's Crash Course in Getting a Short Story Published
I've been getting short stories published for a long time. More than I can even count now. I've done this without an agent and I've always managed my own career.
The one common factor in getting short stories published is searching out calls for submission. This is how I've always done it. And it's the way every other unagented writer I know has done it.
You can find calls for submission on publisher web sites, like this one right here. Cleis Press is not the only publisher who posts calls for submission. It's your job to do the homework.
You can also find calls for submission posted in mass form right here. Then you click "Erotic Readers and Writer's Association," which leads you here. From there, you scroll down the page and on the left hand side you'll see "Author Resources," which takes you over here. After that, it's a plethora of calls for submissions, all from which you can pick and choose.
I also know that small e-publishing presses are always looking for calls for submission. Ravenous romance posts them here all the time.
I also just read on facebook that Silver Publishing is posting calls, right here, under "Special Submissions."
Speaking of social networks, I've seen calls for submission posted on both facebook and twitter. But you have to catch them when they are posted, so I think it's better if you do the footwork on your own. It will keep you more organized.
These are just a few. There are many more and it's up to you as an author to scope them out and figure out where you want to submit. Getting pubbed in an anthology with a short story is fun and it will give you a few great publishing credits.
And all you have to do is write a spectacular story and submit it by following the specific publisher guidelines. Submitting fiction is nothing like submitting non-fiction, so pay close attention the the publisher guidelines.
There's nothing more to it than that. I swear. I've been doing it for almost twenty years.
The one common factor in getting short stories published is searching out calls for submission. This is how I've always done it. And it's the way every other unagented writer I know has done it.
You can find calls for submission on publisher web sites, like this one right here. Cleis Press is not the only publisher who posts calls for submission. It's your job to do the homework.
You can also find calls for submission posted in mass form right here. Then you click "Erotic Readers and Writer's Association," which leads you here. From there, you scroll down the page and on the left hand side you'll see "Author Resources," which takes you over here. After that, it's a plethora of calls for submissions, all from which you can pick and choose.
I also know that small e-publishing presses are always looking for calls for submission. Ravenous romance posts them here all the time.
I also just read on facebook that Silver Publishing is posting calls, right here, under "Special Submissions."
Speaking of social networks, I've seen calls for submission posted on both facebook and twitter. But you have to catch them when they are posted, so I think it's better if you do the footwork on your own. It will keep you more organized.
These are just a few. There are many more and it's up to you as an author to scope them out and figure out where you want to submit. Getting pubbed in an anthology with a short story is fun and it will give you a few great publishing credits.
And all you have to do is write a spectacular story and submit it by following the specific publisher guidelines. Submitting fiction is nothing like submitting non-fiction, so pay close attention the the publisher guidelines.
There's nothing more to it than that. I swear. I've been doing it for almost twenty years.
Links to My Guest Post on Pen Names @ Top 2 Bottom Reviews...
I'd like to mention a guest blog post I wrote for Top 2 Bottoms reviews.
Top 2 Bottoms was also nice enough to review my historical, A YOUNG WIDOW'S PROMISE. You can check that out here.
Big thanks to Top 2 Bottoms for letting me write the guest post and for doing the review!! Writing in another genre isn't easy, especially with a novella like A YOUNG WIDOW'S PROMISE that isn't like anything I've had published in a long time.
Top 2 Bottoms was also nice enough to review my historical, A YOUNG WIDOW'S PROMISE. You can check that out here.
Big thanks to Top 2 Bottoms for letting me write the guest post and for doing the review!! Writing in another genre isn't easy, especially with a novella like A YOUNG WIDOW'S PROMISE that isn't like anything I've had published in a long time.
A Big Thanks to The Bathhouse Blog
I don't get google alerts. I just don't like them. They cram up my in-box and annoy me.
But the downside of not getting google alerts is when I miss something nice and I miss a chance to say thank you. So here's why I'm writing this post:
Who: The Bathhouse Blog.
What: They mentioned one of my books, HOT ITALIAN LOVER, in this post.
When: On October 28, 2011, and I'm embarrassed to admit I just saw it last night while checking blog stats. (I don't check them very often either.)
Why: Because I want to thank them for being so nice. They didn't have to do this!!
Where: You can check out the home page of The Bathhouse Blog, here.
For those who don't know, I wrote a bathhouse scene in HOT ITALIAN LOVER that I thought was authentic. At least I based most of the scene on my own personal experiences as an openly gay man. And though I'm not an expert on bathhouses to any degree, I do know they've been a huge part of gay male culture for more years than I can count offhand.
If you're interested in what real gay culture is like, check them out. I can't promise you much, but you won't see any Snoopy Happy Dances over there (smile).
But the downside of not getting google alerts is when I miss something nice and I miss a chance to say thank you. So here's why I'm writing this post:
Who: The Bathhouse Blog.
What: They mentioned one of my books, HOT ITALIAN LOVER, in this post.
When: On October 28, 2011, and I'm embarrassed to admit I just saw it last night while checking blog stats. (I don't check them very often either.)
Why: Because I want to thank them for being so nice. They didn't have to do this!!
Where: You can check out the home page of The Bathhouse Blog, here.
For those who don't know, I wrote a bathhouse scene in HOT ITALIAN LOVER that I thought was authentic. At least I based most of the scene on my own personal experiences as an openly gay man. And though I'm not an expert on bathhouses to any degree, I do know they've been a huge part of gay male culture for more years than I can count offhand.
If you're interested in what real gay culture is like, check them out. I can't promise you much, but you won't see any Snoopy Happy Dances over there (smile).
December 4, 2011
A New Blog: 2boysinlove
I came across a new LGBT blog last week and wanted to post about it earlier but it seems like something is always coming up.
The name of the blog is 2 Boys in Love, and you can check it out by clicking here.
This is how the banner reads:
We're two young guys in love and this is where we write about what's happening. If you're new to the site, you might want to click on the "About Our Blog" tab. Oh, and welcome!
It seems like a nice place to go. And it's slightly different than other LGBT blogs written by young gay men in the sense that it seems to be fairly oriented toward m/m romance. At least that's how it looks from the blog list and from the blogger profiles. In fact, I have interviewed hundreds of young gay male bloggers over the years and I've never seen any of them interested in m/m romance with such a passion. Young gay men all like to read LGBT books. I know they've read some of my books. But as a group, the m/m romance genre isn't something that I find normally attracts younger gay men. So I think it's nice these guys, Matt and Brad, are helping promote the genre this way.
I also have to say this blog is by far the most professional blog I've ever seen written by young people, gay or straight. I'm not knocking anyone else's blog, so please don't get the wrong idea. One of the things I love about blogging in general is when the blogs aren't perfect and the voices of the bloggers are relaxed and casual. I post about my favorite blogs written by young gay men all the time and the thing I like/love most about them is how imperfect they are.
But all bloggers do it differently, and 2 Boys in Love is something I would recommend checking out. It's very interesting. I've been trying to get an interview with them but they seem awfully busy, which is fine. I'll just have to keep trying until I nail them.
The name of the blog is 2 Boys in Love, and you can check it out by clicking here.
This is how the banner reads:
We're two young guys in love and this is where we write about what's happening. If you're new to the site, you might want to click on the "About Our Blog" tab. Oh, and welcome!
It seems like a nice place to go. And it's slightly different than other LGBT blogs written by young gay men in the sense that it seems to be fairly oriented toward m/m romance. At least that's how it looks from the blog list and from the blogger profiles. In fact, I have interviewed hundreds of young gay male bloggers over the years and I've never seen any of them interested in m/m romance with such a passion. Young gay men all like to read LGBT books. I know they've read some of my books. But as a group, the m/m romance genre isn't something that I find normally attracts younger gay men. So I think it's nice these guys, Matt and Brad, are helping promote the genre this way.
I also have to say this blog is by far the most professional blog I've ever seen written by young people, gay or straight. I'm not knocking anyone else's blog, so please don't get the wrong idea. One of the things I love about blogging in general is when the blogs aren't perfect and the voices of the bloggers are relaxed and casual. I post about my favorite blogs written by young gay men all the time and the thing I like/love most about them is how imperfect they are.
But all bloggers do it differently, and 2 Boys in Love is something I would recommend checking out. It's very interesting. I've been trying to get an interview with them but they seem awfully busy, which is fine. I'll just have to keep trying until I nail them.
